Oxbridge Interview / The Cambridge interview / Human, Social and Political Sciences
Cambridge HSPS interview: politics, anthropology and sociology in one conversation
Three disciplines, two pieces of written work, and a December interview where tutors may test all of them. Seven applicants per place.
Updated September 2026Cambridge's Human, Social and Political Sciences course had 7 applications per place in the 2025 cycle and accepted 173. It lets you tailor your study from the start across three core disciplines: politics and international relations, social anthropology, and sociology. All applicants submit two pieces of written work, and Hughes Hall, King's and Newnham set a college admission assessment, taken after shortlisting. Interviews are run by the college assessing you: main period 7 to 18 December 2026, online or in person depending on the college, most applicants having one or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour with two or three interviewers. Cambridge says it assesses your understanding of the subject, readiness for high-level study, critical and independent thinking, curiosity and enthusiasm. HSPS interviews commonly explore your reading in the social sciences and your ability to reason about societies, power and culture, rather than knowledge of a syllabus.
Merra is not affiliated with the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, any college or UCAS.
Merra: practise it out loud before it counts
Merra's Cambridge HSPS practice is a spoken mock in the college-interview style: five questions across the three disciplines, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. One interviewer, no pre-reading.
- 1Sign up free — no card, 2 free coaching sessions available until used.
- 2Practise out loud — answer unseen discussion questions with an AI tutor.
- 3Get readiness feedback — see how you reasoned and how you handled the push, with a recording and transcript.
No card details required. Your first 2 coaching sessions are free.
Practise an Cambridge-style Human, Social and Political Sciences interview
An AI tutor asks an unseen discussion question out loud, pushes once with a follow-up, then moves on — the same shape as the real thing, minus the science problems on paper.
Practise an Cambridge-style Human, Social and Political Sciences interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionHow this interview works
- 1Submit two pieces of written work to your college. Hughes Hall, King's and Newnham also set an admission assessment after shortlisting; the college tells you when and how.
- 2Invitations mostly in November. Main interview period 7 to 18 December 2026; winter pool mid to late January. Online or in person by college.
- 3One or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour, two or three interviewers; possibly a general academic interview as well.
- 4Cambridge says you may be asked why you chose the course, about key issues in the subject, and about topics from school or your personal statement, and to apply knowledge to new material, sometimes given to read beforehand.
- 5The three disciplines are politics and international relations, social anthropology and sociology; expect at least one to be probed through an unfamiliar example.
- 6Outcomes 27 January 2027.
Interview questions
Cambridge does not publish interview questions for this course. The questions below are Merra practice questions written to the course as Cambridge describes it and to what Cambridge says interviews assess; they are not Cambridge's.
“Is democracy the best way to make decisions, or just the least bad? Give me a decision it makes badly.”
“Pick something you do every day that would look strange to someone from another society. Why do you do it?”
“Who has power in your school or college, and how do you know?”
“If a country's income rose but inequality rose faster, is it better off? Better off for whom?”
“What was the argument of one of the essays you sent? What's the best objection to it?”
“What have you read in the social sciences that changed how you see the news?”
“'Human rights are universal.' Who says so, and what would someone who disagrees say?”
“Why a course that combines three disciplines rather than one of them on its own?”
Pricing
FAQs
How competitive is Cambridge HSPS?
In the 2025 cycle there were 7 applications per place and 173 students were accepted.
Is written work required for HSPS?
Yes, two pieces at all colleges.
Is there an admission assessment for HSPS?
At some colleges: Hughes Hall, King's and Newnham set one after shortlisting. You do not need to register in advance.
What are the three HSPS disciplines?
Politics and international relations, social anthropology, and sociology. You can tailor the course from the start.
When is the Cambridge HSPS interview?
Main period 7 to 18 December 2026, one or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour, online or in person by college.
Official information
For the official course page and admissions details.
More Oxbridge interview guides
Merra is not affiliated with the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, any college or UCAS. Merra’s feedback is advisory only — it is not a guarantee of any offer or admission outcome.
The Oxbridge interview is spoken. Practise it that way.
Your first mock takes about 15 minutes: an unseen question, a follow-up, and feedback on how you reasoned. Free, no card.
Practise an Cambridge-style Human, Social and Political Sciences interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription